In conversation, copy editors have long used this as a verb, even as they would never allow it in the most formal of published copy. Context is everything. If you care, then it is important to know why you care if someone thinks you should not use it.

I didn't see any evidence of "bold" being used as a verb, could you show where you did?
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KevinNov 6 '11 at 18:55

4

Doesn't "embolden" mean "encourage"? How can it be used with the sense given in the question?
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IreneNov 6 '11 at 18:56

@Irene: It does, and the OED records it only in that and similar senses. I may be mistaken, but I’d assumed it was also widely used to describe the act of applying bold-faced type and it's what I would use myself.
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Barrie EnglandNov 6 '11 at 19:37

@BarrieEngland: I just looked at both OED and Merriam-Webster online and I didn't find "bold" listed as a verb, only "boldface". I guess you're referring to printed versions. Thanks anyway.
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IreneNov 7 '11 at 13:08

And note the lack of a hyphen; "bold-faced" is strictly an adjective.
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KevinNov 6 '11 at 18:58

Just saw it, too. It can be used in the sense asked in the question, so it's the accepted verb to describe what the OP is looking for.
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IreneNov 6 '11 at 19:01

@Irene I don't think verbed boldface is any more or less accepted than verbed bold.
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z7sg ѪNov 7 '11 at 11:26

@z7sgѪ: Actually, OED has an entry of "boldface" as a verb, that's why I believe it's a verb already in use to describe what is being talked about here. "bold" with this sense isn't listed.
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IreneNov 7 '11 at 13:05

@Irene Is that right? Yes, unfortunately I only have access to the free online edition where neither are listed.
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z7sg ѪNov 7 '11 at 14:49

However, since there are new terms introduced to the language that have to do with actions involving latest technology, everyone will understand what the word bold means in this context (at least everyone who's computer literate). I was surprised when I first heard "I will sms you" or "Text me your decision", but such sentences have become part of everyday speech, especially among younger people. It would be natural to assume that the word bold can belong to this category of new uses of a word (since it has other meanings as an adjective).

Did you find anything in a dictionary? I'd be interested to know
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IreneNov 6 '11 at 18:53

3

The OED has definitions and citations for ‘bold’ both as a transitive and an intransitive verb. Neither is in the sense we’re discussing here, but the point is that the use of ‘bold’ as a verb has grammatical legitimacy. I have not myself seen or heard it used as such in a typographical sense, but there’s no linguistic reason why it shouldn’t be.
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Barrie EnglandNov 6 '11 at 19:36

@Theta30: You're quite right! Apparently, I got carried away while using words like "sms" and "text"! I was surprised to see it myself, I hadn't noticed until you pointed it out to me...
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IreneJan 13 '12 at 16:28